Joe and I were up and out by the pool restaurant for our final breakfast between 8:30 and 9:00. I was going to have a bagel and cream cheese today, but at the last minute, changed to the build-your-own omelet, choosing sausage and cheddar. It was good, but I prefer their three-cheese omelet.

We checked out at 11:00, and caught a cab to the airport, where we were dropped off at the new terminal. After checking in, we followed the catwalk, which took us over the street to the old terminal, which is a cramped little thing, and one in which once you go past security there are no amenities—no concessions, not even any restrooms.

To that end, we waited until the last minute to go through security, spending the time in the little restaurant there, which has free wireless, and where we sat at a table by an ATM machine. We had a few good laughs, as the machine essentially "spit" the money out, and people had to keep picking it up off the floor. Several tried to grab it while it was floating to the ground, like trying to catch leaves in the wind. All very entertaining.

At about 12:15 (for our 1:00 flight), we went through security and crossed to the terminal, where Marvin, a line-dancer I'd met on our last trip here and who had checked us in about an hour earlier, was now at the gate to take our boarding passes. Everybody's a jack-of-all-trades at this airport. We noticed that last time, too.

Our flight from Key West to Charlotte was uneventful. The one from Charlotte to RDU was excruciating.

I have never heard so many people talking so much and so loud through an entire flight. The decibel level didn't even go down—at all—during the safety instructions and when the pilot came on to make announcements as we neared RDU.

Daddy had turned on his phone and was turning it sideways to see the picture of his girlfriend, wife, or 'ho while it displayed, "Loading..." and at the expense of interacting with the human being that was his daughter sitting beside him and now repeating for the third time...

"Daddy, why is it doing that?"

"Shut up!" he finally said.

Gee, I wonder why the kid's a brat.

I met the STC crowd out at Mitch's Tavern for the combination STC End-of-Semester Party, Master's Degree Defenses Celebration, a stealth Petite-Salon meeting, and an MS in Technical Communication Graduates Reunion.

E-Ching and David were there, and it was great to catch up with them. I hadn't seen them in forever. E-Ching was just out of Chinese class, and David mentioned some of my buscapades. Good people.

John Strange presented Sarah with a card and a bouquet of yellow roses in thanks for her tireless leadership of the STC student organization. Yay!